Rebecca St. James Biography

Rebecca St. James (born Rebecca Jean Smallbone on July 26, 1977 in Sydney, Australia) is a Christian pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.

She released an independent album titled “Refresh My Heart” in Australia, under the stage name of Rebecca Jean in 1991.Soon after its release, she signed with ForeFront Records, and took her stage name at the label's request. In 1994 she released her major label debut titled “Rebecca St. James.” She also released an EP titled “Extended Play Remixes” in 1995.

1996 saw the release of St. James' third album, “God,” which peaked at #168 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, at #10 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart and at #6 on Billboard's Contemporary Christian chart. In 1997, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album for “God” and in 2005 the album was RIAA certified gold.

Later in 2007 she released her first holiday album, simply titled “Christmas.” The album charted at #12 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart and at #14 on the Contemporary Christian Albums chart.

St. James' fourth studio album, “Pray” was issued in 1998. Peaking at #168 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and #5 on both the Heatseekers Albums chart and the Contemporary Christian Albums chart, the album went on to win a Grammy Award in 1999 for Best Rock/Gospel Album and in 2006 it was RIAA certified gold.

“Transform,” her next studio album, was released in 2000 and debuted at #166 on the Billboard 200. It also made appearances on the Christian Albums and Heatseekers Albums charts at #14 and #7 respectively. The album spawned two of St. James' biggest hits, “Wait for Me” and “Reborn.”

Her highest charting album to date, 2002’s “Worship God” reached #94 on the Billboard 200. It also peaked at #5 on Billboard's Christian Albums chart. A more rock-driven album, “If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something,” followed in 2005. The album included the hit singles “Alive” and “You Are Loved.” The album was her first studio album to not reach the Billboard 200 in 11 years. It did manage to chart at #14 on Billboard's Christian Albums chart.

As the 2000s unraveled, St. James began to focus on her emerging acting career. In 2010, St. James parted ways with ForeFront Records and signed with Beach Street/Reunion Records. Her ninth studio album, “I Will Praise You” arrived in 2011 and peaked at #9 on Billboard's Christian Albums Chart.

In addition to her thriving musical career, St. James is also an accomplished author and actress. To date, she has published nine books and starred in five feature films, and a musical stage show.